Circuit controller



March 23, 1954 SWANSON 2,672,889

CIRCUIT CQNTROLLER Filed Sept. 1, 1950 2 SheetsSheet 1 0X Ll" 4} I I v1//vr0,2 GRANTA. SWANSON /b. Id- 43M A TTORNEY March 23, 1954 G. A. SWANSON CIRCUIT CONTROLLER Filed Sept. 1, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet nvmvroe GRANTA. SMNJON A. ,k/- 63M ATTORNEY FIG 7 Patented Mar. 23, 1954 UNITED STA E orrics .1 Claim. 1

The invention .herein presents an apparatus operable in response to differential pressure andby reason of flow of fluid through the apparatus to closeoircuits for signs or writings to be illuminatively displayed and to equalization of pressure of fluid insaid apparatus to cause said circuits :to be .opened.

The object. of theinvention is to provide an apparatus of new and improved construction for controlling circuits for signs or writings to be illuminated.

In the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is adiagrammatic view of .a circuit controlling apparatus made according to the invention;

"Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational View of the unit. of' the apparatus-attire lower right in Fig. l

.Fig. 3 is a plan view of the unit disclosed in Fig, 12;

Fig. 4 is-a vertical sectional view, taken .online '44;in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5. is a view corresponding generally with thedisclosureof Fig. (i, but showing parts in different positionsy Fig, 6 is an elevational view disclosing first and second solenoids of the. apparatus and switches controlled thereby contained 'in the unit of the apparatus atthe lower left in Fig;.l; and

. .Eig. f? is a diagrammatic view or awiring system forthe apparatus.

,As herein illustratedand described, the circuit controllingzapparatus is operable to energize .one or more illuminableksigns ,or writings in.response to .difierential .in pressure. and byyreason of ,fiow ofa beverage, such, for exampleas beer or coffee, from asource of Supply thereof through'the. apparatus to a lccationior use, and to cause said signs .or. writings to be .deenergisedin response to equalization of pressure of fluid in said apparatus.

lVith respect to the drawings and the numerals of referenoethereon, i Eldenotes a first pipe .to lead from a source of pressure supply (not shown) of a liquid beverage, and l .i represents a second pipe .to leadlto atap (also not shown) from which the liquid beverage is to be withdrawn for use.

MAirameof the apparatus, supporting a switch boxlfiland first and second fluidconveying units, indicated l3. and it, respectively, is constituted as an elongated element is, upon which said switchhox is securedand spaced, transversely extending elements it and I'l integral or rigid with opposite ends of said elongated element and inifaoing relationto each other.

. The first fluid conveying unit l3; consists of a first rigid tube 18 having its exterior end secured,

as at ii, in the transverse element 55 and .its interior end secur d, as at 2%, to and in alined relation with a firstioellows 2 l.

The second fluid conveying unit M consists of a second rigid tube 22 having its exterior end secured, as at in the transverse element I and its interior end secured, as at 24, to and in alined relation with a second bellows The first pipe it leads, as at 2 5, into the first rigid tube it at a location interiorly of the transverse element it, and the second pipe ll leads, as at 2?, out of the second rigid tube 22 at a loca- .tion interiorly of the transverse element H.

The first and second fluid conveying units l3 i i are in alined relation with the interior ends of the first and second bellows 2| and 25 adjacent each other.

The exterior ends of the first and second rigid tubes i8 and 22 are open to access ports, denoted .23 and 29, respectively, through the transverse elements It and ll, and externally threaded closure plugs, represented .30 and dhrrespectively, are removablysituated in internal threads bounding said access ports. The construction and ar rangement are such that the closure plugs can be removed to render :the interiors of the rigid tubes and bellows readily and easily accessible for cleaning purposes.

A movable arm .32, rigidly secured betweenthe interior ends of and in perpendicular relation to the first and second bellows 2! and 25, includes an extension portion which projects through a rectilinear slot 33 in the elongated element 15 and supports a movable element or protuberance 34 disposed at the sideof said elongated element opposite the first and second fluid conveying units 13 and i l. Saidinterior ends of said first and second bellows are open to each other by way of a restricted orifice 3E5 throughsaid movable arm.32.

.Flow of fluid from the first pipe It] to the second pipe I! will be by way of the interior of .the first conveying unit It, the restricted orifice 35 and the second conveying unit [4.

The switch box 12 includes a push button 36 normally situated, as in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, to permit a movable contact element 3'! to be in spaced relation to a fixed contact element 3.8, and adapted to be depressed, as in Fig. 5, to cause said movable contact element 31 to engage said fixed contact element 38. That is, closing of the switch 3l38 is accomplished in response to movement of the arm 32 toward the left in the drawings, and opening movement of said switch is permitted when said arm 32 is moved toward the right. v

The construction and arrangement will be such that when the second pipe II is closed off, thus to cause pressure of fluid in the first and second conveying units to be equalized, the movable arm 32 will be situated to position the protuberance 34 at its farthest distance from the push button 35, toward the right in the drawings, and when said second pipe is open, thus to cause flow of fluid from the apparatus and pressure of fluid within the second conveying unit to be less than in the first conveying unit, the movable arm 32 will be moved, toward the left in said drawings, to depress said push button 36 and cause the switch 31-38 to be closed. Said switch 31-39 will remain closed as long as flow continues to cause pressure in the second conveying unit to be less than in the first conveying unit, and will become opened upon cessation of fiow causing equalization of pressure in said first and second conveying units.

Separate signs or writings to be illuminated are shown as bulbs, designated 39, 49, 41 and 42, respectively.

An incoming wire 43 from a suitable source (not shown) of electrical energy extends by lead wires 44, 45, 46 and 51 to the bulbs 39, 40, 41 and 42, and lead wires 49, 49, 59 and extend from said bulbs to equally spaced, fixed contact elements 52, 53, 54 and 55 of a compound switch, disclosed more clearly in Fig. 6, including a rotatably supported switch arm 56.

The switch arm 56 is connected by a lead wire 51 to one of spaced, fixed contact elements 58, 58 of a switch also including a movable contact element 59 adapted to bridge the fixed contact elements 58, 58, and an incoming wire 69 from said source of supply is connected to the other of said fixed contact elements 58.

A lead wire 61 extends from the incoming wire 43 to a first solenoid '62, for controlling the switch 58-59-58, a lead wire 63 extends from said first solenoid 62 to a second solenoid 64, for rotatably advancing or actuating the switch arm 56, a lead wire 65 extends from said second solenoid 64 to the fixed contact element 33, and a lead wire 66 connects the incoming wire 60 to the movable contact element 31.

Energization of the first solenoid 52 is adapted to cause the switch 58-59-58 to be closed, and deenergization of said first solenoid is adapted to cause said switch 59-59-58 to be open.

The switch arm 56 is fixedly supported upon an insulating disc 61 rotatably mounted, at 58, within a casing 59 of the apparatus. Said disc 61 suitably and conveniently supports actuator lugs 10, four as shown, supported at 90 degrees apart about the axis of the disc.

The second solenoid 64 also is supported in the casing 69. A lever 1| has an intermediate portion thereof pivoted, as at 12, upon said casing, and a short arm of said lever has a longitudinal slot in its outer end portion which slidable and rotatably receives a pin 13 rigid with the core 14 of the second solenoid 64.

The outer end of a long arm of the lever 1 I, at the side of the pivotal connection 12 opposite the second solenoid 64, pivotally supports, as at 16, the midportion of an actuator bar 11 disposed in angular relation to said lever 11. An end portion of the actuator bar 11 adjacent the lever 1| is resiliently connected, as at 18, to an intermediate portion of said long arm 15 for limited swinging movement, and a beveled end 19 of said actuator bar, in spaced relation to said lever H, is adapted to be successively engaged with the actuator lugs 10. The construction and arrangement will be such that a tension spring will retain the core 14 at its farthest distance from the second solenoid 64 when said second solenoid is deenergized, thus to retain the beveled end 19 of the actuator bar 11 at the rear of and in proximate relation to an actuator lug 1D, and energization of the second solenoid will draw said core inwardly against resilient action of said tension spring, thus to cause said actuator bar to rotate the insulating disc 61 ahead one step. In Fig. 6 the core 14 is shown in its position as when the second solenoid 64 is energized, and the actuator bar 11 is disclosed as when it has completed a step advancement of the insulating disc 61.: Upon deenergization of said second solenoid, the tension spring 80 is adapted to react to rotate the lever 1| in counterclockwise direction in said Fig. 6 to cause the long arm 15 of said lever and the actuator bar 11 to be swung downwardly, thus to cause said actuator bar to be moved to a receded position so that its beveled end 19 is positioned at the rear of and in proximate relation to the next succeeding actuator lug 10, situated to be capable of rotatably advancing the insulating disc 61 one step in response to an immediately succeeding energization of the second solenoid 64. The switch arm 56 normally is engaged with one or another of the fixed contact elements 52, 53, 54 or 55, and said switch arm is moved from engaged relation with a succeeding fixed contact element to engaged relation with the next preceding fixed contact element in response to each energization of said second solenoid.

Supposing the parts of the apparatus to be in their inoperative positions, as in Figs. 1 to 4 and 7 of the drawings, and beverage to be withdrawn from a tap controlling the second pipe II, the movable arm 32 will be moved to the left in the drawings, in response to differential in pressure existing at the right and left sides of the orifice 35 and by reason of fiow of liquid from the apparatus, to cause the protuberance 34 to depress the push button 36 thus to cause the switch 31-33 to be closed and retained in closed condition as long as liquid continues to flow from the apparatus.

Closing said switch 31-38 will complete a circuit through the first and second solenoids 62 and 64, said circuit being traced from the incoming wire 43 by the lead wire 6| to said first solenoid, thence by the lead wire 63 to the second solenoid, thence by the lead wire 65 to the switch 31-38, and thence by the lead wire 66 back to the incoming wire 60.

Energization of the first solenoid 62 will cause the switch 58-59-58 to be closed to complete a circuit including one of the bulbs, 39, 40, 4| or 42, as the case may be, said circuit being traced from the incoming wire 43 back to the incoming wire 6i! by way of one of 44, 45, 46, 41, one of 52, 53, 54, 55-56-51-56-59-59, and the bulb connected in circuit will remain energized as long as there is fiow of liquid from the apparatus. Said first solenoid will become deenergized concurrently with equalization of pressure in the first and second fluid conveying units 13 and I4 occurring when flow from the apparatus is terminated, and upon deenergization of the first solenoid, the switch 58-59-59 will open to break the bulb circuit.

Each energization of the second solenoid 64 will advance the switch arm 56 one step to cause said. switch arm to engage the next preceding contact element, 52, 53, 54 or 55, as the case may be. The switch arm 56 will be advanced one step to cause a different bulb circuit to be closed each time the first and second solenoids are simultaneously energized. Said switch arm 56 will remain engaged with the fixed contact element it is caused to engage in response to each actuation of the second solenoid until removed therefrom in response to a next succeeding actuation of said second solenoid. Each bulb circuit, however, includes the switch 58-59-418, as well as a fixed contact element of the compound switch having the switch arm 56, so the bulbs are incapable of being energized at times other than when the first solenoid 62 is energized.

In an instance when considered desirable, the apparatus can be employed to successively energize a single sign or writing by directly connecting the lead wires 63 and 65, as by a lead wire 8! shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, and eliminating the second solenoid 64 and the parts actuated thereby, of course leaving the switch arm 56 engaged with one of the fixed contact elements 52, 53, 54 or 55, or directly connecting the lead wire 51 with one of the lead wires 18, 49, 58 or 5|. Assuming the lead wires 88 and 65 in said Fig. 7 to be connected, the second solenoid 64 to be omitted, and the lead wires 5'! and 5| to be and remain in conducting relation, the bulb 42 would become illuminated whenever the first solenoid 62 was energized and dead whenever said first solenoid was deenergized. It will be apparent that the principles of the invention are capable of employment to cause the same sign or writing, or different signs or writings, successively to be illuminated or otherwise made discernible.

What is claimed is:

A switch including a movable element, a frame constituted as an elongated element and transverse elements rigid with opposite ends of said elongated element in facing relation to each other, alined first and second fluid conveying units supported by said frame each includin a rigid tube having its exterior end secured in one of said transverse elements and a bellows supported upon the interior end of the rigid tube, a first pipe to lead from a source of fluid under pressure opening to a side wall of the rigid tube of said first fiuid conveying unit in spaced relation to said transverse elements, a second pipe for conveying said fluid from a side wall of the rigid tube of the second fluid conveying unit in spaced relation to said transverse elements, there being a restricting orifice for flow of fluid between the bellows of said first and second fluid conveying units and access ports through said transverse elements contiguous with the exterior ends of said rigid tubes, closure plugs removably situated in said access ports, and a movable arm rigid with said movable element and secured to adjacent interior ends of said bellows to be operable in response to differential in pressure of fluid in and flow of fluid through the bellows of the first and second fluid conveying units to cause the movable contact element to be moved in one direction and in response to equalization of pressure in said bellows to cause said movable element to be moved in opposite direction.

GRANT A. SWANSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 438,301 Edison Oct. 14, 1890 883,992 Wentz Apr. 7, 1908 1,627,685 Beach May 10, 1927 2,174,086 Hoffmann Sept. 26, 1939 2,214,616 Jenks Sept. 10, 1940 2,258,835 Williams Oct. 14, 1941 2,417,788 Sofiel Mar. 18, 1947 

